UPDATE: Mastiffs, monkeys and foxes have been confirmed as new tameable hunter pets. Hopefully there will be vanity pet versions, as well!

Cataclysm is now in closed beta testing. Since the non-disclosure agreement has already been lifted, there are dozens of new models to check out at MMO-Champion! Which of these many colorful and exotic creatures will become new vanity pets is still a mystery, though we can guess (and dream!):

If Blizzard finally works out the kinks for water-specific companions (remember the Baby Shark from WotLK beta that never panned out?), that would open the door to many more potential pets, such as Sea Serpents, Sea Horses and Sting Rays.

Finally, very close to my bird-loving heart are the Sea Gull, Raven and ...gasp... BUSH CHICKEN!! Oh please let it be so... *faints*

We just got word of another potential pet coming in Cataclysm. This one was clearly inspired by Thing from The Adams Family. It's idle animation will have you playing "Rock, Paper, Scissors" until the your raid leader kicks you to the curb.

We have no idea how this pet might be obtained, but we'll let you know when we get more details.

I've got to "hand" it to Blizzard... this is one pet we'll all definitely want to get our "hands" on.

It looks as though the new guild vendors in Cataclysm will be selling a wide variety of items, including pets and mounts!

The guild vendors on both the Alliance side and the Horde side carry a Baby Dark Phoenix and a Snail Pet (screenshot). Both appear to be very inexpensive at this stage of the beta. I've always wanted a snail for a pet and a "dark" phoenix sounds sweet! Cataclysm is sounding better everyday.

The latest beta patch added the Lil' Deathwing model to the build. He doesn't look nearly as dangerous in this form, does he?

UPDATE: We now have confirmation that Lil' Deathwing is indeed the Cataclysm collector's edition pet. The last two CE expansions offered the Netherwhelp and Frost Whelp (Frosty) respectively. So this makes perfect sense.

A swarm of new pets has made its way into the most recent Cataclysm beta build. Only one of these has been confirmed in-game—the Rustberg Gull. This sea bird is sold by a vendor in Tol Barad named Brazie (wares pictured here).

The associated faction is "Baradin's Wardens" and currently the gull is sold for 4g without any reputation requirement, but this may change before the expansion's release. Special thanks to Ashiritan for the screenshots.

Armadillos and more!

Even more pets have popped up in this last patch, including one that I've personally wanted for years—a Baby Armadillo!

So far, the only item discovered that teaches this pet offers the brown variety pictured here, but there are other colors as well. Time will tell whether these other variations might be offered as pets too. No details yet as to how this armadillo is obtained, but we'll keep you posted when we know more.

Several items that teach new pets have also turned up in the game files, but none of these have been confirmed in-game. So don't be too disappointed if they never make it into the expansion when it ships.

And several baby turtles, including Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Leatherback, Albino and Olive. Note that these turtle files are not new. Some of them have appeared in the game files for years, but since they showed up again in the most recent beta build, we thought it worth mentioning.

Portable Pet Mansion?
Lastly, a strange new container appeared in the game files—Whizzlespark's Portable Pet Mansion. It appears to be a 24-slot bag. The description says, "Automated feeding, watering, bathing, and waste removal. Petting not included."

Back in the pre-Wrath days when pets were still summoned by items, such a bag would've made sense. But nowadays? Very curious...

UPDATE: Horde pet collectors will be able to collect the Withers pet, which was previously only available to Alliance players as a quest reward. Apothecary Furrows, residing in a cave in northern Darkshore, will sell the Withers pet to Horde players for a mere 30 silver.

Withers is bind on pickup so any character wanting this pet will have to make the journey in person. On the way, be sure to swing by The Eye of The Vortex and watch for flying cows! Trust me, it's worth seeing.

We're excited to report the first confirmed new pet available in Cataclysm! Withers is the little fella's name, befitting his ragged appearance and unique idle animation. He begins as a fairly large treant (well, large for a small pet) who withers away/shrinks over time. When he gets close to water, he emotes, "Withers absorbs the water, growing back to full size!"

Withers is rewarded from a long quest chain in Lor'danel, a new Alliance city in Darkshore. He therefore appears to be an Alliance-only pet. He's awarded to players by a new NPC named Cerellean Whiteclaw for completing the final quest in the series, Remembrance of Auberdine.

We remain confident that the developers will insert a Horde-only equivalent of some sort, possibly even the same pet. We'll keep you posted as we continue to receive reports from beta testers.

We have a lot of updated information on many of the new pets from the Cataclysm beta, which will hopefully whet your appetite for the upcoming expansion!

Guild Vendor Pets
As part of the guild leveling system, guilds can unlock special items for sale by the guild vendor. The previously reported Snail Pet is no longer listed among the guild vendor's wares (hopefully it will become available by some other means). However, an Armadillo Pup has been added and the Dark Phoenix Hatchling remains available. Below are the respective guild achievements and costs associated with these pets:

As we understand the guild leveling system, the entire guild can contribute to unlocking the guild achievements. Once unlocked, any guild member (whether they contributed to a particular achievement or not) can purchase the respective rewards, provided they have the required funds (and reputation with the guild, where required).

Engineering Pets
Two previously datamined engineering pets, the Personal World Destroyer and the De-Weaponized Mechanical Companion are now showing up in the beta as recipes available from a trainer at level 475 engineering. They are currently bind on pickup, so only the engineer who creates them will be able to learn to summon them. This is only the beta, though, so it could possibly change before launch.

Archaeology Pets
It looks like there will be a few new pets attainable through the archaeology profession. Players will conduct research, digging for artifacts at various dig sites throughout the continents. Once enough study has been completed, they can "solve" their current project to piece together a surprise item, which might just include one of the following pets:

Reputation Reward Pets
The only new reputation reward pet we have seen yet is the Rustberg Gull. This pet has been updated to require honored status with Baradin's Wardens (Alliance) and 60 Tol Barad Commendations for purchase. The Horde faction associated with Tol Barad, Hellscream's Reach, does not currently have a quartermaster, but we are confident one will be added to make the gull pet available to Horde players.

News is trickling in of several other new pets that will debut in Cataclysm. Here are a bunch that you can look forward to collecting in the expansion.

Tiny Shale Spider
The Tiny Shale Spider (pictured) is a companion that's currently dropped by a rare spawn called Jadefang (lvl 85). This is the only green Shale Spider seen (apart from critter versions that crawl about the area). He's very tricky to reach, requiring quest access and a bit of ingenuity. We'll have more details when we publish the official pet profile when Cataclysm launches.

Pebble
Joining the Scorchling is a tiny earth elemental pet called Pebble. He's rewarded through completion of the Rock Lover achievement.

Elementium Geode
The first of its kind, the Elementium Geode is obtained by miners. It's found randomly in Elementium mining nodes and it's BoU so it can be traded to others. It's a very tiny pet. In this picture, it's been fed a pet biscuit—it's usually about half the size.

Guild Achievements
Both the Guild Page and Guild Herald are rewarded through new Guild Achievements. Oddly enough, both pets appear to be summonable for 5 minutes at a stretch, making us wonder whether they are true vanity pets.

Enchanting Pets
As promised, enchanters will have the ability to make some pets. An Enchanted Lantern and a Magic Lamp will both require Enchanting 500 to create. We're hoping they'll be BoU pets, so that they can be auctioned just like many of the older pets made by engineers.

Mini Jousters
Players will be limited to collecting a single Mini Jouster—either a Gold Mini Jouster or a Blue Mini Jouster. You may choose one or the other as a quest reward for a Mount Hyjal quest called Egg Wave.

Others...Whirling Waveling, Rumbling Rockling and Fox Kit... not much is known about these companions yet. They could be required for quests or some might never even make into the game. We'll keep you updated as we learn more.

Yep... Cataclysm is shaping up to have more for pet collectors than any of the previous expansions! Very exciting!

We have some new pet models to share, fresh from the Cataclysm beta! The Dark Phoenix Hatchling, pictured in the video below, appears to be a pink and purple version of the Phoenix Hatchling. In other words... it's totally awesome!

Models have also been found for the Enchanted Lantern and Magic Lamp, though we are not certain as to which one is which. We also do not know if enchanters will be able to learn both formulas, or if one will be specific to Horde and the other to Alliance. We will be sure to keep you updated!

We've been quiet about perhaps the biggest question on everyone's mind:

What old-world pets are being removed in Cataclysm?

Why the silence? Because no pets can truly be confirmed as "no longer available" until AFTER the expansion is out. Blizzard will be making fixes, additions and tweaks up until the last minute. So we'd hate to be the instigator of pet collector panic or skyrocketing auction prices based solely on speculation.

Still, we felt it important to share the facts on the few pets that have yet to be confirmed in the beta. We're not saying these pets are going away. But you might consider bumping these six to the top of your "wanted" list, just to be safe.

Missing whelplings

If you don't yet have 'em, we recommend puttng the Azure Whelpling, Crimson Whelpling and Emerald Whelpling at the tippy-top of your list. All of the mobs that drop these three whelps have been removed from Azeroth without a trace. So if you're concerned about their future availability, scope out the AH or grab some big ol' farming bags—these rainbow whelplings should be your top priority.

Oddly enough the Dark Whelpling has been confirmed to drop from the original mobs, at least in the Badlands. So this gives us hope that the other colors will find their way back into the game as well. Our fingers are crossed.

Other questionable pets
Each of the remaining pets will probably be restored before Cataclysm ships. But we can't be certain, so pick 'em up in the coming weeks if you can.

Black Tabby - Many of the mobs that drop this former Maine Coon are no longer present in the beta, including the Spellscribe (rare spawn). Summoners and Shield Guards both still exist near the old Dalaran site, but they currently have no loot tables (a bug?), so we're not sure whether they'll drop the tabby or not.

Razzashi Hatchling - The Zul'Gurub instance has been removed entirely and the surrounding area is being redesigned. So it's possible that our Razzashi friend will show up in a rare-spawn nest in that new area. Still, you might want to nab this little raptor for good measure.

Sprite Darter Hatchling (Alliance) - The quest chain that awarded this pet to Alliance "parents" has been removed. The Horde can still farm the darter without a hitch, but we're told it doesn't drop for the Alliance. We remain hopeful that the developers will update the quest chain, or at least enable the drop for both factions.

Fishing for pets
Also note that fishing has yet to be enabled in the beta. But we're fairly confident that our fished-up friends aren't going anywhere. We expect all of them to be confirmed when the secondary skill is activated.

Don't panic!
This news is likely to be unnerving for many collectors, especially you newcomers. Remember, we're not saying any of these pets have been removed. We're saying they're on our watch list. Our hope is that the developers will add them back into the ever-changing cataclysmic landscape in the weeks to come.

Special thanks
Finally, we'd like to extend a great big "THANKS!" to Wain for doing a SMOKIN' job of keeping us up to speed on all the old-world pets in Cataclysm. Thanks for the ongoing assist, Wain!

UPDATE: The Singing Sunflower has been given a fresh new model (pictured). We're thrilled that it no longer resembles the Ammen Vale Lashling and we LOVE the new model!

The sunflower also now (sometimes) sings upon summoning! Da-da do di do-di do di ♪ There's a zombie on your lawn! ♪

Check it out for yourself in TotalBiscuit's video (featuring the old model). The randomness of its singing could be a bug.

Singing Sunflower Pet collectors will really enjoy earning this pet! It's a reward from what many are calling the funnest new quest in Cataclysm! The area in Hillsbrad near the Dalaran Crater will be the home of a full-blown quest chain inspired by PopCap's wildly popular Plants vs. Zombies PC game. WoW's version has been retitled, Peacebloom vs. Ghouls. The quest mechanics are almost identical to PopCap's game, and completing the quest chain rewards you with the pet. Also, the composer for PvZ has confirmed that she's recording the voice for the singing sunflower (fitting, given that she sang the PvZ theme song during the credits roll).

Currently the pet uses the same model as the Ammen Vale Lashling, however it's animation features musical notes radiating from it. Hopefully the model will change... us pet collectors enjoy variety.

Fossilized Hatchling
Commonly referred to as a "Skeletal Raptor," this little guy is learned via Archaeology (the Fosil Tree) after grinding the skill to the higher levels. At the moment, it requires 85 Fossil Archaeology Fragments, which are obtained while grinding up the highly anticipated new skill.

For you mount collectors, there is also a Fossilized Raptor mount. It requires 100 Fossil Archaeology Fragments. TotalBiscuit also posted a video of both the pet and the mount in action—check it out!

The Clockwork Gnome has been confirmed as a new pet discoverable through archaeology. It is a rare item that requires 100 fragments to complete within the Dwarf branch of archaeology.

The item that teaches this pet, which currently only says "Use", had us worried that this cool little gnome might not be a true vanity pet. Thankfully, we need not have worried. As you can see in this video from Inico, the Clockwork Gnome can be learned and summoned just like any other companion pet. Hopefully in just a couple more months we can all start getting our hands dirty looking for this and other archaeology pets!

Our friends at MMO-Champion have posted a nice summary preview of Cataclysm pets. We invite you to check it out for yourselves. Below are links to pet pictures not previously posted at WarcraftPets. Enjoy the sneak peak!

This last one has us more than a little confused. Hardboiled Egg teaches a pet and the summoning spell associated with it, Eat the Egg, appears to be linked to a baby blue murloc. Before everyone starts fainting from uncontrollable squeeing, please remember that this is still the beta, we don't know all the details, and anything can change before Cataclysm goes live. That being said, I do honestly hope this means everyone will finally have a chance to get a baby murloc pet of their very own! Though I do hope they decide to change it to a new color like green or orange. Keep your fingers crossed and we'll be sure to let you know as soon as we get any more information.

Fresh from the Cataclysm beta comes news of possible new combat companions. The Blue and Gold Mini Jousters, which were previously pictured as solitary birds, are in fact condors carrying lance-wielding rag dolls. These pets can be learned and summoned like any other companion, but (for the time being, anyway) they can aggro, attack, and damage mobs. Mobs can attack them back and even "kill" them, though they can simply be resummoned as good as new.

We already have vanity pets that can fight each other, such as Warbots, Clockwork Rocket Bots, and Grunty and the Zergling. And there are pets like the Toxic Wasteling, Willy, and Lil' K.T. who can kill critters. But so far all vanity pets have been 'non-combat' — they cannot help you fight other mobs. So it comes as quite a shock that the Mini Jousters seem to buck this trend. They are level 80 with nearly 31k hp and they can hit other mobs of their level for over 900 dmg per swing. You can even heal them up if their health drops. We're guessing their unique ability to attack mobs is a bug.

Another possible bug: they currently do not fly behind players on flying mounts. Instead, they will follow along the ground, where they can aggro hostile mobs.

We would not be at all surprised if the Mini Jousters' mechanics were changed so they could only fight each other. But in the highly unlikely event that they remain 'combat' companions, we can all expect to see a lot of them flying around Azeroth in December!

When and how these two companions will be available is still a mystery, but with names very similar to Lil' K.T. and Lil' XT it wouldn't be surprising to see them appear in the Blizzard PetStore.

We're definitely eager to find out more about Lil' Alexstrasza and Lil' Ragnaros! Stay tuned for more information in the future.

What emotes or abilities are you hoping Lil' Alexstrasza and Lil' Ragnaros have? Check out our Twitter and leave us a tweet to share your ideas. Don't forget to use the hash tag, #WoWPetQA, in your message!

UPDATE: On November 10, Blizzard stated the Razzashi Hatchling will find a new home post-Cataclsym.Details »

Well, collectors... we've got some good news and some bad news. Let's get the bad out of the way first.

We now have official confirmation from Blizzard (via Wow Insider) that one of the pets we listed as a possible removal is definitely being pulled when the cataclysm strikes. It's true... the Razzashi Hatchling from Zul'Gurub (along with the Swift Zulian Tiger and other mounts) will be unobtainable when patch 4.0.3 hits. So if he's on your list, he should be your absolute TOP priority. Even if you've already got him, we suggest farming for extras. Since he's doesn't bind when picked up, he can be sold to other collectors in the years to come. We're guessing his auction price will be the highest ever for a companion, so he's well worth stocking up.

So what's the good news?

Well, Blizzard has broken their silence on which items will no longer be available in the near future. It is possible that they overlooked an item or two. But this announcement does make us feel better about the chances of the other 5 pets we've been watching. With Blizzard's official statement, we're optimistic that those other pets will still being available (in some fashion) after the world changes.

There have been some changes to a few Cataclysm pets as well as news of a possible new WoW Trading Card Game companion!

Enchanting pets skill increased
Wowhead is now listing the Magic Lamp and Enchanted Lantern formulas as requiring an enchanting skill of 525 (up from 500). These recipes are also now rare in quality and have had the materials necessary to craft each pet updated. How they will be obtained is still unknown.

Engineering pets now bind on use
The De-Weaponized Mechanical Companion and Personal World Destroyer have been updated as well. Previously labeled as bind on pick up, they are now bind on use on the beta. This is subject to change come expansion release, so we'll just have to wait and see what Blizzard ultimately decides on. Whether you're for or against these pets as bind on use, they are absolutely lovely companions and would be wonderful new additions to your pet family.

Whelplings in Cataclysm
There will be many awesome new pets to hunt for in the expansion, but what about the older ones? Fear not, Blizzard has not forgotten them!

"We're in the process of finding new homes for each of these whelps. While we've not settled on where just yet, it looks like we'll be able to keep them as non-combat companions.

This is subject to change, of course, but the house-hunting appears to be going well. (We'll keep you updated should our relocation plans change.)"

This is reassuring news, and we remain confident and hopeful that the whelplings will not be lost or disappear in the wake of Deathwing's temper tantrum on Azeroth.

New TCG companion?

Speaking of tantrums... our friends over at WoWTCGLoot have discovered a new loot card pet that will likely be found within the upcoming TCG expansion pack, Worldbreaker. It's Lil' XT's evil twin, Landro's Lil' XT! Or is Landro's version the good one?

As far as we can tell, Landro's Lil' XT has the same model (and possibly similar vocalizations and animations) to Lil' XT. The main difference is that the former will be available through the WoW TCG, while the latter is already available from the Blizzard PetStore. According to the item's flavor text, Landro's Lil' XT is intended to be "a near-perfect, Goblin-manufactured knockoff of the Wonderworks original," proving that Blizzard can poke fun at their own duplicate pets.

It looks like things are shaping up quite nicely as Cataclysm draws nearer. We'll continue to keep everyone updated with any other pet changes!

MMO-Champion has discovered yet another possible Cataclysm pet in an upcoming beta build.

Moonkin Hatchling - Right Click to summon or dismiss a Moonkin Hatchling.

There's no information on how this interesting companion may be obtained yet or if it's even intended to be released with the expansion, however we look forward to reporting any news that may arise in the near future! We'll definitely be sure to announce if Blizzard is planning on creating a druid-form critter army as well.

Another intriguing item discovered in MMO-Champion's item database is the Baby Coralshell Turtle. The tooltip states that it requires a fishing skill of 450. Could this be a new fishing daily reward? However, it must be noted that it is not listed as a learned item which may indicate that it may not be a true vanity pet.

There are many other unconfirmed companion items and spells shown on both MMO-Champion as well as Wowhead, although some have been in the databases for a while. With the discovery of the Moonkin Hatchling and the Baby Coralshell Turtle added to the list, we can only continue to hope that we will finally see a few of these lurker pets in Cataclysm.

There have been multiple reports from the beta of the Hyacinth Macaw being a zone drop in Stranglethorn Vale. From raptors to trolls, it seems as if the macaw has been added to many of the STV inhabitants' loot tables, so this stunning bird may be even easier to obtain in the expansion!

Two other pets that we can expect to continue on into Cataclysm are the Smolderweb Hatchling and the Worg Pup. A blue poster has confirmed that the quests to obtain these two companions will still exist, however the quests will be adjusted to fit into the revamping of Azeroth.

Hopefully this will alleviate some anxiety about the future of these three pets. We remain fairly confident that only pet that's being removed in Cataclysm is the Razzashi Hatchling. We'll let you know if any other pets are likely to be removed.

Razzashi Hatchling to Find a New Home
A blue poster recently announced that the Razzashi Hatchling will indeed be available post-shattering of Azeroth (likely to be after patch 4.0.3a.)

In fact, I can confirm that the Razzashi Hatchling, being a clever and resilient little reptile, has already found a new home, and will be migrating there shortly after the shattering. ;)

The relocation of the the Razzashi Hatchling was hinted at early on in a previous discussion about the baby raptor, but it's awesome that there is a follow up confirmation. Kudos to Blizzard for finding the time to relocate it, ensuring that it will continue to be available even after the destruction of our game world. I'm sure all of the other little raptors will join us in celebrating that their small family will remain intact.

Four More Possible Pets

There is already a long list of pets that are likely to be released in the expansion, however MMO-Champion is listing four more possible companions that have been datamined from the most recent beta build:

Lizzy

Tiny Flamefly

Bubbles

Little Snail (speculative picture at right)

Don't get your hopes up too high yet. The expansion release date is nearing, yet there's currently no information on how these pets will be obtained or if they will even be available to players in Cataclysm. The prospect of even more pets to hunt for in the expansion is exciting, but much like Lil' Alexstrasza, Blizzard could change their mind about the aforementioned companions and make them completely unavailable or put them on hold indefinitely. We will just have to wait and see where these little ones end up.

Crawling Claw - BoA?
In addition to the four possible pets, Wowhead has discovered within the latest beta build files that the Crawling Claw is now Bind on Account. This will not be the first companion of epic quality, but it WILL be the first player created vanity pet that is not Bind on Use or Bind on Pick Up. Now that this pet is BoA, all of your alts can have their very own Rock, Paper, Scissors opponent to play with!